Always Needed
by TheologyDiscography
Summary: Just a sweet little ficlet about what happens after Peter regains his memories of Neverland, but before he remembers his wife and family. Peter/Rufeo, platonic relationship.


-

His shadow sure was an ornery thing, he mused as he followed it silently. He was tired from playing with the Lost Boys all day. He may remember being Peter Pan again, but that didn't mean his body was used to that much physical exertion. It had been over twenty years since he'd last played in Neverland, after all.

But Peter Pan had never let sleep deny him his goals before, and he wasn't about to start now. He leapt forwards and grabbed his shadow by the ankle. It kicked him, making him loose his grip, then put its hands on its hips and shook a finger at him, motioning him to follow. He sighed and put his hands on _his _hips, but followed it. It wasn't going to obey him until he did what it wanted, and he wanted to know what it wanted to show him. The last time, just this afternoon, he'd stumbled onto Wendy's house, and his memories. He glanced at his shadow again, and it held its finger to it's lips, melodramatically signaling quiet. Fixing his happy thought in his mind, he floated a few inches above the ground, so there wouldn't even be any footsteps. His shadow nodded vigorously, giving him a thumbs up, and scampered off once more.

'This used to be my place,' he thought to himself as he followed his shadow. He had always slept a ways away from the rest of the Lost Boys, so he wouldn't wake them when he chose to rise. A muffled whimpering caught his attention, distracting him from his memories, and he looked down to see Rufeo. Of course it would be Rufeo. Nobody else would have the audacity to take his place. But Rufeo had never believed that he would come back. He thought that Peter had abandoned the Lost Boys, just like his father had abandoned him as a child.

Peter frowned. Rufeo was curled up on his side, arms wrapped around his head. The boy was shaking, and tears streamed down his cheeks, but he made little sound; not enough to alert anyone who wasn't close enough to touch him to the fact that he was crying. He dropped to his knees, the thump startling the boy, who scrambled up, staring at him through tear streaked eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, and Peter suddenly realized how much of his swagger was bravado. So he didn't say anything, just reached out and pulled him into his arms.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, remembering when Wendy had asked him the same thing. The thought almost made him smile.

"I wasn't crying," Rufeo denied. Peter raised a hand to wipe at the tears still flowing down his face, and he turned away, burying his face in Peter's shoulder, taking it out of the range of Peter's fingers, and wiping off the tears. Peter held him close, patting his back as Wendy had when he'd hurt himself. As if this gave him permission he had been denied before, Rufeo burst into sobs. "Peter. What's gonna happen now that you're back?" he whispered after his sobs died down. "You've changed everything."

"No, nothing's changed except I'm back now. We'll have fun like always."

"But you're here now. They don't need me anymore." Peter ran a hand through his hair, and he curled into the caress like an attention-starved kitten.

"The boys'll always need you, Rufeo. You took care of them when I was gone, and nobody's going to forget that. You'll be a leader, just like me. I'm not gonna push you out, but I can't help the fact that they look to me either."

Somehow, they ended up curled together, Peter's arms wrapped around Rufeo, covered by the light blanket that Wendy had given Peter, which he had left in Neverland. They didn't really need it, since it was always warm in Neverland, but it was a comforting weight nevertheless. Rufeo was curled so his head was against Peter's collar, and his breath was warm on Peter's shoulder.

Eventually, he released the sleeping boy, making sure not to wake him, and went to go find Tink. She would know what he was missing. She always helped him, and knew so much more than he did. She'd always taken care of him. She'd brought him to Neverland, didn't she? So he never had to grow up? But he turned and flew backwards, watching Rufeo sleep until he was swallowed up by the gloom.

**_HOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOKHOOK_**

Just a sweet little ficlit that I came up with. Takes place between when Peter remembers and the scene where Tink kisses him. Just for clarification, Peter knows he's been gone, but he doesn't remember how, why, or where he was until the scene with Tink.


End file.
